A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to increase the salaries of full‑time, curriculum community college FACULTY AND PROFESSIONAL STAFF.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of twenty‑eight million seven hundred twenty‑two thousand ninety‑four dollars ($28,722,094) for the 2006‑2007 fiscal year to increase the salaries of full‑time, curriculum community college faculty and professional staff.
SECTION 2.(a)  The minimum salaries for community college faculty shall be based on the following education levels:
(1)	Vocational Diploma/Certificate or Less. – This education level includes faculty members who are high school graduates, have vocational diplomas, or have completed one year of college.
(2)	Associates Degree or Equivalent. – This education level includes faculty members who have an associates degree or have completed two or more years of college but have no degree.
(3)	Bachelors Degree.
(4)	Masters Degree or Education Specialist.
(5)	Doctoral Degree.
SECTION 2.(b)  For the 2006‑2007 school year, the minimum salaries for nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum community college faculty shall be as follows:
	Education Level	Minimum Salary
Vocational Diploma/Certificate or Less	$32,027
Associates Degree or Equivalent	$32,499
Bachelors Degree	$34,543
Masters Degree or Education Specialist	$36,356
Doctoral Degree	$38,971.
No full‑time faculty member shall earn less than the minimum salary for his or her education level.
The pro rata hourly rate of the minimum salary for each education level shall be used to determine the minimum salary for part‑time faculty members.
SECTION 2.(c)
(1)	It is the intent of the General Assembly to encourage community colleges to make faculty salaries a priority and to reward colleges that have taken steps to achieve the national average, therefore:
a.	If the average faculty salary at a community college is one hundred percent (100%) or more of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to eight percent (8%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
b.	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least ninety‑five percent (95%) but less than one hundred percent (100%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to six percent (6%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
c.	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least ninety percent (90%) but less than ninety‑five percent (95%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to five percent (5%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
d.	If the average faculty salary at a community college is at least eighty‑five percent (85%) but less than ninety percent (90%) of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to three percent (3%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
e.	If the average faculty salary at a community college is eighty‑five percent (85%) or less of the national average community college faculty salary, the college may transfer up to two percent (2%) of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries.
Except as provided by subdivision (2) of this subsection, a community college shall not transfer a greater percentage of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries than is authorized by this subsection.
(2)	With the approval of the State Board of Community Colleges, a community college at which the average faculty salary is eighty‑five percent (85%) or less of the national average may transfer a greater percentage of the State funds allocated to it for faculty salaries than is authorized by sub‑subdivision e. of subdivision (1) of this subsection. The State Board shall approve the transfer only for purposes that directly affect student services.
The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this subdivision.
(3)	A local community college may use all State funds allocated to it except for Literacy Funds and Funds for New and Expanding Industries to increase faculty salaries.
SECTION 2.(d)  As used in this section:
(1)	"Average faculty salary at a community college" means the total nine‑month salary from all sources of all nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum faculty at the college, as determined by the North Carolina Community College System on October 1 of each year.
(2)	"National average community college faculty salary" means the nine‑month, full‑time, curriculum salary average, as published by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), for the most recent year for which data are available.
SECTION 2.(e)  The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section.
SECTION 2.(f)  The State Board of Community Colleges shall report to the appropriations subcommittees on education, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Fiscal Research Division, and the Office of State Budget and Management by December 1, 2006, and every year thereafter through December 1, 2009, on the implementation of this section.
SECTION 2.(g)  The State Board of Community Colleges shall adopt rules to ensure that these funds are used only to move faculty and professional staff to the respective national averages. These funds shall not be transferred by the State Board or used for any other budget purpose by the community colleges.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2006.